Bolivia

American  

[buh-liv-ee-uh, boh-, baw-lee-vyah] / bəˈlɪv i ə, boʊ-, bɔˈli ḇyɑ /

noun

1. a republic in western South America. 404,388 sq. mi. (1,047,370 sq. km). La Paz and Sucre.

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Bolivia British  

/ bəˈlɪvɪə /

noun

1. an inland republic in central S America: original Aymará Indian population conquered by the Incas in the 13th century; colonized by Spain from 1538; became a republic in 1825; consists of low plains in the east, with ranges of the Andes rising to over 6400 m (21 000 ft) and the Altiplano, a plateau averaging 3900 m (13 000 ft) in the west; contains some of the world's highest inhabited regions; important producer of tin and other minerals. Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. Religion: Roman Catholic. Currency: boliviano. Capital: La Paz (administrative); Sucre (judicial). Pop: 10 461 053 (2013 est). Area: 1 098 580 sq km (424 260 sq miles)

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Bolivia Cultural  

1. Republic in western South America, bordered by Chile and Peru to the west, Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, and Argentina to the south. Sucre is its constitutional capital and its largest city; La Paz is its administrative capital.

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Discover More

The Bolivian government has long fought widespread drug production and trafficking in the country.

Simón Bolívar founded Bolivia in 1825 after winning independence from Spanish rule.

Other Word Forms

• Bolivian
  adjective
• anti-Bolivian
  adjective
• pro-Bolivian
  adjective
• pseudo-Bolivian
  adjective

Example Sentences

Shifter said politicians on both the left and right have struggled to solve deep-seated problems in Bolivia and elsewhere in South America.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Bolivia holds some of the world’s largest lithium reserves, which are increasingly important to the U.S. and Europe as they seek alternatives to Chinese-dominated supply chains.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

He has been in hiding since 2024 in the Chapare coca-growing region in central Bolivia.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

In 2024, Russia handed the space over to Bolivia.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

The Spanish shipped silver from the mines of Bolivia to Manila in the Philippines, and bought Asian products there.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson